At Blade's End
by punkgothicjackal
Summary: She's a modern day gang member. He's a former-street rat. When Briar and Evasca's paths cross, Briar must teach this new mage what it's like to belong somewhere.


A/N: I own Evasca, no one else yet...... 'cept for Briar, who's locked in my closet. =)  
  
At Blade's End  
By: PunkGothicJackal  
  
A/N: Well, watching too many action flicks got me thinking...... so here's the end result. You'll see what this has to do with Circle of Magic in the next chapter!   
  
Chapter 1  
  
(WARNING: LOTS OF LANGUAGE!!!!!)  
  
Evasca ran her scarred hands over the hilt of the sai, absently reassuring herself it was there. It wasn't that she needed it, being the best fighter on the dark side of New York City, where the toughest of gangs were found, the toughest that existed. If you could survive there, you could survive anywhere.   
  
She sniffed the air, the lingering scent of rain hanging over the alleyways like a threat, waiting to pound everything in it's way mercilessly. Already Evasca knew it would be a long night.   
  
With not even a glance, she walked further into the darkness of the deserted alley, ignoring the rats burrowing for food, and the occasional homeless man, watching her with bloodshot eyes earned from the years of cocaine and booze.   
  
A gust of wind whipped her hair, a roll of thunder shook the skies overhead. Evasca turned her face to the wind, letting it stir her hair and caress her pretty face. Turning to a stack a boxes, she sent a good kick to it, sending the boxes flying, and revealing the one thing Evasca had left: her motorcycle. With perfect agility, she had hopped on and started the engine, and was racing the wind down the alley, headed towards the rumble. It was actually more of a rumble between just her and someone who had degraded her status, and she was going to show him exactly why she was the toughest girl in New York. She would not let him win.  
  
"Shit!" She cursed, skidding to a stop. She hadn't planned on that bastard Turantula bringing back ups. Not that it mattered, but it was strict gang law that back-ups were not allowed in single fights. 'But then again,' she reminded herself, 'this is not a gang fight. This is war.'  
  
"So you decided to show your pretty face here, Evasca?" Turantula sneered. "We'll see how much of that pretty face is left when I get through with you."  
  
"Was that a threat?" Evasca murmered, getting off her motorcycle. "I have a reputation, Turantula. You have shit. So what are you trying to prove?" She was a pretty good size for her age, with a great figure and a face unmarred by her lifestyle. She had long, curly red hair and green eyes that held the truth of her existance, the shadows showing all the realities that she had seen in her short lifetime.   
  
"That I'm the ruler of this city, not you!" He grabbed her top, pulling her within an inch of his wild, bulging eyes. Evasca stared back calmly, as though this was simply a business interview. Not like she would know, she had never had a job in her life. His rancid breath blew in her face, making her frown.  
  
"Is that so?" She asked conversationally. "Turantula, Turantula, Turantula. When will you learn I'm real, and your so-called rulership over this city is a fantasy?" Swiftly, she kicked him, hard, in the shins, making him release her momentarily.  
  
"You-!" He didn't get to finish as Evasca landed a blow with the sai, leaving a deep gash in his side.  
  
"GET HER!!!!" He bellowed to his group, trying to stop the rushing flow of blood from the gash. Evasca, plan already formed, took off running, a few yards in front of the persuers. Looking over her shoulder, she grinned, ready to do one of her famous disapearing tricks. Making a sudden and sharp turn, she leaped into the air, landing on the top of a dumpster. Pressing against the building, she silenced her breath and waited, the pounding of feet on the pavement growing closer. She turned her face to the sky, silently praying that her plan would work. Turantula's gang was dense, that was for sure, but not that stupid. It would take all her skill to get out of this unscathed.   
  
"Do you see her?" Evasca pressed closer to the wall.   
  
"Nah. How could she just have escaped?"  
  
"Idiots." Evasca muttered to herself. They were almost where she wanted them.   
  
"Damn it! The boss is going to slaughter us! How could you have let her get away?!"  
  
"Me?! You were in front!"  
  
"Guys, shut up! We'll just tell the boss the fuzz came and we bailed."  
  
"The fuzz never patrol down here."  
  
"Do you have a better idea?"  
  
"Oh boys!" Evasca interrupted the bickering, and was amused to see six scarred and dirty faces turn to stare at her in amazement. "Miss me?" Faster than the blink of an eye, she had speared one of them with her sai, knocking him to the ground, dead. She lept quickly from the top of the dumpster as the rest of the gang scrambled to get her. With trained experience, she flipped out of the way of a blade thrown from Claw, Turantula's favorite cronie. With a smile she ran full-speed towards another man, taking him by surprise. She slammed into him, knocking him over, and watched as he hit his head on the pavement. He would defenately be out for the night. With her back still to the other three, she could feel their advancement, and with perfect precision, she whipped out her wrist blades, and threw them, hitting both with a bullseye.   
  
"Five down, one to go." Her eyes searched for the last one, but nothing was there. Just the empty alley and the five men. Her eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right.  
  
She took a few catious steps, awaiting an ambush. But nothing happened. Assuming he had ran home with his tail tucked between his legs, she relaxed, letting her guard down. Big mistake.   
  
Two muscular arms wrapped around her neck, cutting off all possibility of air.  
  
"Forget about me, Princess?" The gruff voice was filled with dark humor and self-absorbed pride. "Too bad you're an enemy of Turantula. You're quite a babe."  
  
Evasca scratched at his arms with no avail. Things started swimming in and out of focus, and Evasca began to feel her brain shutting down. Focusing on her leg, she brought it up swiftly, kicking her captor in the face. He cursed and let her go. Gasping for breath, she ran drunkly for one of the bodies, searching for a weapon. He began to close in on her, his muscled legs working better than hers for the time being. Suddenly Evasca remembered the switchblade, the last weapon she had at her disposal besides her various defensive moves. Fumbling for it, she gripped the blade on accident, sending a wave of pain shooting up her arm. Ignoring her injury, she pulled it from it's hiding place and threw it at him, watching him fall almost in slow motion. When she was sure he was finally dead, she got to her feet slowly, recollecting her arsonal. She walked steadily home, collapsing on the stairs of her abandoned building, the rain pounding her body.  
  
A/N: Emelan comes in next chapter!!!!!!! Please Review!!!!! 


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